13 Things You Never Knew About the Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-rangetwinjetnarrow-bodyairliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from the 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of thirteen passenger models with capacities from 85 to 215 passengers. The 737 is Boeing’s only narrow-body airliner in production, with the 737 Next Generation (-700, -800, and -900ER) and the re-engined and updated 737 MAX variants currently being built. It’s the most-produced airliner in the world, and these are 13 impressive facts about it.

1) The 737’s maiden flight was on April 9, 1967 – more than two years before the first moon landing.

2) The 737 is the best-selling airliner in history, with over 8,500 built.

3) On average, more than 1,250 737s are airborne at any given time.

4) The launch customer for the 737 wasn’t in the US. It was German-based Lufthansa Airlines.

5) By 1970, Boeing only had 37 orders for the 737. They considered canceling the program, but after the cancellation of the Boeing Supersonic Transport, and scaling back of the 747, they freed enough funds to keep the program going.

6) The 737-200 had an optional gravel kit, giving the aircraft the ability to fly into unpaved runways in remote locations.

7) The 737-300 featured CFM high-bypass turbofan engines. However, the gear design provided very little ground clearance for the new engines. To overcome the problem, engineers reduced the size of the fan, placed the engines ahead of the wings, and moved the engine accessories to the sides of the engine. This gave it a non-circular shape, as well as more ground clearance.